The terror raids in Birmingham Wednesday have prompted much anger among the area’s Asian community. But they have also made local mosque leaders question the source of the rise in Islamic fundamentalism among Britain’s young Muslims.

Shabir Hussain, the imam of a mosque near one of the homes stormed by anti-terror police, believes that the dangerous ideology of radical Islam is coming not from a small number of imams sowing anti-western sentiment at secret meetings, but from the Internet.

“The children are not learning from the mosques, not learning from the parents,” he said. “Young kids, they see the news and see the Internet. They think, ‘something’s happening in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Palestine, in Kashmir, and Muslims are oppressed everywhere and some injustice is happening in the world.’”

The personal — and some might say secretive — nature of Internet use could be creating a sense of paranoia that is being felt inside the homes of British Muslims.

“Something is happening in the house,” Mr Hussain said. “Father is looking at son, ‘What are you looking at on the Internet? What are you watching on the TV? Where are you going? Who are your friends?’ These kinds of things are already happening.”

Naouar Bioud, who monitors daily a range of jihadi Web sites for CBS News, believes there is a host of factors contributing to the groundswell of anger evident among many young Muslims in Britain.

“They’ve lost a sense of belonging. Integration doesn’t work. There’s the recent spate of arrests,” he said.

But it could be the easy access to militant Islamic websites that is increasing and channeling this anger.

Bioud said that young British Muslims are “more politicized than others their age, simply because of their background” and that some seek the unsanitized view of the world offered by the Internet, a view that many feel is lacking in more mainstream news.

“There’s no barrier between the youngsters and what occurs in the world in terms of conflict,” he said. “You go into a website at random and put in ‘beheading clips’ and you will find them, starting from Daniel Pearl in Pakistan to Ken Bigley in Iraq.”

The alleged plot by the nine terrorist suspects arrested yesterday to kidnap a serving British Muslim soldier, behead him and broadcast the footage on the web is chillingly similar to the media-savvy tactics employed by jihadist groups in Iraq.

“These groups are becoming very experienced in exploiting the Internet and they know for a fact that winning the media battle is winning half the war,” Bioud said.

The fighters who construct these Islamist websites have even taken to calling themselves “electronic mujahideen.”

“Every operation they make, there’s a camera filming it and then it’s posted on the Internet,” Bioud said. “There’s messages from al Qaeda, and now they’re going on Arab satellite channels and American security centers.”

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I’m NOT a Muslim(much too Disciplined a religion).

I’ve READ the Holy Quran and found it (Islam) to be truly one of the Three Great Religions of the world. Many of its tenets I’ve incorporated into my own ‘Core Values’ alongside Christianity and Judaism ~ as too I’ve incorporated the BEST of Buddhism. So having said that, I’ve often been greatly troubled when I read, or see, how Islam has been bastardized and demonized by the Western Media.

The Article above is an example of what I call the “Ignorant Demonization of a Religion”, something relatively unheard of since the Days of Colonialism when the West trivialized ‘Native & Indigenous Religions’ in order to stamp the Western brand of religion on a People to JUSTIFY slavery and the rape of said foreign country’s natural resources.

Okay: both America and Britain (two former Players in the African Slave Trade and BIG TIME Colonialist) go HIT by some Islamic so-called ‘Terrorists’. And I agree that Security steps need be taken to protect against such acts. But to mount a systematized and coordinated ATTACK upon a Religion itself (Islam) is not only foolish ~ but in the long term it fuels a hatred against the West that is all consuming.

I’ve read from Western pundits and by ‘those that SHOULD know better how the Holy Prophet Muhammad was a “Terrorist”; or how the the Holy Quran instructs Muslims to BY THE SWORD force non Muslims into the Faith of Islam; or how Muslims ~ by nature ~ disdain a Woman’s Rights or how they HATE all Western Ideas.

I’ve seen or heard it all, baby!

Now we have some mambi-pambi ‘Know it All’ (like the Author above) claiming how the INTERNET ~ the fricki’ internet <g> ~ is largely responsible for fueling Muslim children with hate for things Western!!

Western ‘Thought’ and Culture has brought untold Advances in ‘All’ Fields of Human Endeavor. Christianity and Judaism has Advanced Mankind’s ‘Spiritual Quest’ significantly. But to clamor AGAINST a Religion (Islam) that Incorporates ‘ALL’ the religions into its Principles …. is not only ignorant, but a travesty that belittles and destorts the significant Contributions that Islam has given to the World:

In ‘ALL’ areas of Human Endeavor as well!!

I Admire Islam. As I stated previously, I’m not Disciplined enough in its Principles and Tenets (I LOVE pork, smoke, and Drink <g>) to become a ‘True Muslim’; but I’ve READ enough to KNOW that “Islam” is a Peaceful and Inspiring Religion.

So whenever you come across Articles like the above, or hear how Islam is this Demonic Cult that preaches HATE …. just remember that ‘All’ Faiths have had these splinter Groups of Right wing Fundamentalists that have attempted to distort and USE its Faith for selfish gains and objectives; and thus you’ll be able to parse accordingly what constitutes Reality from Propaganda.